Olympics

Man with fire extinguisher attempts to douse Olympic torch in Rio

Welp. Here we are again. Another day closer to the beginning of the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, and another attempted torch-dousing in the books.

For the second time since the torch entered host nation, an individual has attempted to put out the flame symbolizing the spirit of the competition.

Video of the attempted extinguishing shows an assailant run out of the crowd as the torch passed near the city of Joinville in southern Brazil and unloaded a fire extinguisher at the flame carrier.

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The attempt was, fortunately, a failure, but even in failure, a second attempt doesn’t bode well for the remaining days of torch transit.

We don’t know the most recent attacker’s motivations, but his actions build on the initial douse attempt from late June. The torch was passing through the southwestern Brazilian city of Maracaju when a 27-year-old man threw a bucket of water at the torch. The splash missed, hitting the carrier and security guards.